WEBVTT - Confronting the Mental Health Crisis 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:07.080 What's up? Family, iss your girl to Mika D. 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.880 Mallory and it's your boy, my son the general, and. 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:13.520 We are your host of street politicians, the place where 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:19.720 the streets and politics me my son Lennon. Y'all say something, 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:23.040 America is gone. You're not how they used to say 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:25.439 that boy gone and. 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:27.720 That boy gone. He ain't got it all. 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:31.960 It's gone from street to street, from c to sun 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:34.960 Shine and Sea. It's really a problem. 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:37.400 Yeah, we're gonna talk about America being crazy because a 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:38.640 lot going on in America. 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.680 But today, you know, as I drive my. 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:44.000 Kids to school every morning, like I normally do, I 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:48.760 turn on the radio and I hear this conversation between 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:52.280 Evany Kbilliams to us somebody we both know and respect 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:56.520 and love, and DJ Envy, who's also our brother, and 0:00:56.560 --> 0:00:59.360 I mean and just the breakfast club in general. And 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.840 I had seen some online chatter about the conversation that 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:07.039 her and Ayana Vozac had and she spoke about not 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.240 being willing to date a bus drive unless he owned 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:12.640 the bus company. So you know, I didn't even at 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:15.760 first to me, because everybody's personal preference is their preference. 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:17.760 You know, if you don't want to date somebody if 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:21.000 you feel like you're an educated individual and you you know, 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:22.720 you going to college, this and that, and you want 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:26.280 to date people within that realm, that should be your prerogative, 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:29.560 you know. So I never really understood what everybody was 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:31.839 mad at. So then I heard that she doubled down 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:34.640 on the conversation. I didn't hear none of that either 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:38.280 until today, and they were playing clips from both the 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.480 interviews and then listening to her today, and I just 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:44.440 was I was taken back by I. 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:48.160 Think in this situation she was tone deaf, you know. 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:52.400 And and once again, you have your own personal preference 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.320 if you want to date anybody, that's who you like today, 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:58.160 and there's nothing wrong with it. But what the problem 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:02.120 was when she started to refer two bus drivers as average, 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:05.960 when she started to take the bus driver's job, and 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:08.880 then she started talking about having SS and d's. 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:10.920 In school and average and want and more. 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.320 And I think the context of that is wrong because 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:17.399 I know bus drivers that never had season d's, right. 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.120 I know bus drivers who've been a students and just 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:24.360 weren't able to come out of school and get different jobs. 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:28.239 I know bus drivers who who never even went to school, 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.079 and I know people who are in certain positions where 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.280 they seem to have a lot of money that has 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:34.399 even Season. 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:36.360 D's, you know, they are very successful. 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:37.680 There are a lot of people I know that didn't 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:40.959 even go to school that a millionaires. So I think 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:43.760 when she was not she was trying to say something, 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.600 and I think maybe it came off wrong, you know, 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:49.480 but the reality situation is. And then she brought into 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:53.440 white supremacy and she said, white supremacy leads leaves our 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:56.640 people in positions to where they only aspired to this 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.160 and they only have that, and that those are true things. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:00.960 But both of those can't be true. 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.280 You can't look down or seemly look down on the 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:06.600 bus driver or the person with seas and these and 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.560 then no white supremacy will put you in a position 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:11.040 where you have to take these. 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:12.400 Quote unquote average jobs. 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:15.359 Right, You can't look down and speak about white supremacy 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:20.399 and not know that white supremacy will exalt the average 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:24.959 mediocre white man above a scholarly black person. 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.440 So we know those things as this. So I think 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:28.360 she wasn't listening. 0:03:28.480 --> 0:03:30.600 She was, and then she was wanting her point to 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.359 be across that she wasn't I didn't think that she. 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:37.160 Was able to properly verbally give her point. 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.200 And she was given dictionary and it was semantics, and 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.320 she let semantics and this is the dictionary, you know, 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.160 definition for average and all that. And I think she 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.080 didn't understand that she offended people, you know, and when 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:52.720 you offend people, you have to take that into accountability. 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:55.000 I said, okay, I said something of the people, and 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:57.160 she was so doubled down, and she just said, I 0:03:57.160 --> 0:03:59.520 don't care if God didn't agree with me. I know 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:02.160 what I'm saying. And when you take that type of position, 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.480 it just seems tone death. So you know, I don't 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:08.440 want to criticize, but I was giving my perspective, you know, 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.880 and I'm open to have a conversation or dialogue to 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:15.760 get clarity. But it just seems as if if we're 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:19.200 not careful about how we speak about our people, right, 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.200 if we're not speaking about them in an upliftment, even 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:24.599 if we even if we're trying to teach or we 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:27.040 want better for them. But when you start telling you 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:30.559 just a garbage man, you ain't nothing, it doesn't seem 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.120 it's not done in love, or it doesn't seem as 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:33.960 if it's done in love. 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:41.520 Well, I mean, here's my thing. I understand both perspectives, 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:45.880 and I understand another thing. Let me just go from 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.760 work my way from the end of your statement to 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:53.520 the beginning. The whole idea of being tone deaf or not, 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:59.040 you know, not understanding when you offend people. I think 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.760 that's a tough for us to travel down because there 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.839 have been times when we are saying something that we 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:08.400 believe and we do not care who is offended by 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.039 it and how people feel. So when I say that 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:15.640 I believe that cleanliness is close to godliness, and I 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:19.400 refuse to allow people to tell me about You know, 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.040 I understand that some people have body issues and all 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:25.240 of that. I get that, but I am even the 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:28.040 people who spoke say, well, they may be depressed and whatnot. 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:32.919 I'm still at the place where I'm saying, Okay, I 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:36.400 get it, but you still need to try to keep 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:40.359 yourself physically clean as best as you can. I know 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:44.120 people who live on the street that clean themselves up. 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:45.760 Go had an uncle who lived on the streets, and 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:49.159 he used to clean himself up with wipes or whatever 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:53.000 he had. So I understand that there are different factors. 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:57.240 Get it, but I'm not going to I'm not willing 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:02.400 to lower my standard of what cleanliness or should be 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.920 in a realm of course, because everybody has anything. Listen, 0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:08.320 let me just finish. I'm not willing to lower it. 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:13.760 And I am not going to be bullied or shames 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.800 into changing my opinion. Right, And there are people who 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:22.520 are beheminently against what I'm saying, upset about it, and 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:27.520 have unfollowed me because they told me that, They demanded 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:30.960 that I delete my post or stop saying things and apologize, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:31.880 and I refuse to do it. 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:35.960 Okay, So can I just want to give one okay, 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:40.240 just one thing, and that is one hundred percent right 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:42.000 if that's how you feel. So what I'm trying to 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:46.599 say is if you say that, you can't also say 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:52.920 but I'm not trying to offend people who aren't clean, right, 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.360 and just say I don't care if you said I'm 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:57.919 not trying to offend people who aren't clean. This is 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.880 what I'm saying. And I'm saying, no, you'red people who 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:04.239 aren't clean, right. You can't all you both for those things. 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.000 That's what I'm trying to say. You can have that 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.400 pos but that has to be your position. 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.440 At the end of the day. You know, sometimes whoever 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.760 we offend, we offend, and we have to just accept 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:19.960 the fact that that happens. But I'm not necessarily targeting 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.240 any one person. I'm just saying that this is an 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:26.520 overall thing that I believe that it is my standard, 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:28.880 and that if I have a family member or friend 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.119 who tells me I'm depressed and I'm not really taking 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:33.680 care of myself properly, I'm going to do everything I can, 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:38.000 not to shame them, but to encourage them to do better, right, 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:41.840 and whatever, if it's medical, if it's whatever. So I'm 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:44.160 just saying, you're I hear what you're saying. I guess 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.840 it's semantics to the point that I guess everany was 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:49.280 trying to make, which I didn't hear any of this accession. 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.480 And also you can't you can't follow up that up 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:55.600 and say, well, I understand that white supremacy has our 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.520 people on the streets and white supremacy has them in 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.040 this situation and mental health, and say all of that. 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:06.880 But I could argue, even with that point that if 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:11.680 my son or your son, or anybody else child comes 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.000 to me and says, well, the black man has it hard, 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.080 and the black man has been through so much, and 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.960 white supremacy, this and that and the third. That doesn't 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:21.840 mean that I'm gonna be like, Okay, well I get it, 0:08:22.160 --> 0:08:25.920 and therefore you can go and be average, mediocre, shoot guns, 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:30.440 kill people, scam, lie, cheat, go to So I'm still 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:34.560 going to hold you to a certain standard. 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:36.080 But with those things, that's what I'm saying. If he 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:38.840 comes to you, it's a different conversation. No, no, no, 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.640 But I'm sure you're not gonna give him the excuses 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:45.320 for why he should be mediocre, understanding the reasons why 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.840 these things ain't happening, and then't say it's his fault. 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:53.600 But I am sure. I'm sure though, that the bus 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:57.559 driver whomever it is that she's talking about, has approached 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.520 her and tried to, you know, see what's up or whatever, 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:04.200 and she probably turned down certain individuals like that. Now, 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:07.839 I thought what was hilarious was a video that a 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:10.800 Yalla van Zant did and she didn't get to finish 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:12.959 the video, or maybe she did, but I saw the 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:17.240 tagline because she got distracted by some of chin hair, 0:09:17.400 --> 0:09:20.360 so she never finished the video, but it looked like 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.080 she was about to talk about the situation again, and 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:25.800 on the bottom it said, the question is whether or 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:29.720 not the bus driver will date you. I and so 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:33.600 that brings me to my mid So I'm saying that 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:37.720 I see points in all sides, right, because I too 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:42.080 do not want to date anybody that I have to 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:47.360 take them and dust them off and create so and so. 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:49.360 But who am I to assume that a bus driver 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:52.400 would be that there might be a bus driver out here. 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.319 But I get her concept. I get what she's trying 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:57.720 to say. I do think to your point that it 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.960 went in the wrong direction, because the point is that 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:04.439 there are a lot of successful women who are constantly 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:08.080 having to deal with people that we meet that can't 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:11.960 really do much for us and emotionally or financially, and 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:16.240 it is a struggle that we face. But the bigger 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:20.200 struggle that I know exists is having the rich man 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.360 or the man not in my life. So let me 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:27.280 be clear, Because I had and still am very very 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.120 dear and close to a very wealthy man that I 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:32.880 was with for over ten years and he treated me 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:36.360 like a queen. It just time, you know, life happens 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.400 and people go in their separate directions. But I can't 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.440 sing and say anything nasty by him. However, I have 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:47.160 been approached by many men who have extreme resources, and 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:52.240 they're narcissists, They're nasty, their liars, their cheaters, they're all 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:56.560 types of things. So I wouldn't typecast anybody because I 0:10:56.640 --> 0:11:00.640 know bus drivers that are amazing in terms of how 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.400 they love their wives, their families, how they stand up 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:06.760 in their communities. And I do believe that as a woman, 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.480 a part of what makes us who we are is 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:15.000 the ability to help build an empire with your man 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.640 who might be a bus driver, and so long as 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:19.880 he has the ambition, he don't got to own the 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.079 bus company at the time, but it certainly should be 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.000 a goal of ours. And I should be able to 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:28.960 look at this man and say he has the potential, 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:32.800 the drive, the passion, the work, you know, work hard, 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.840 all those things, the work ethic, and me, with my 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:40.439 skills and my belief in him and all the things 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.320 that I have together, we can own the bus company. 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:45.800 That's the way that I see it. So just to 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:48.679 be clear, I don't I wouldn't say that the only 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.400 way O would data bus driver is if he owns 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:54.960 the bus company. But I do understand the challenge that 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:58.839 many successful black women are facing where it is very 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:02.000 difficult for us to find people who are compatible with us. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.600 So all I was saying is that there's no one 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:08.920 clear cut answer except that, yes, if the bus driver 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:12.320 approached me and I saw in him the passion and 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.200 all the things that I am looking for in a man, 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:18.120 one hundred percent, because I know that I as a 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:23.319 black woman who is strong and skillful and has resources, 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:26.800 I know that the partner that I find that has 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:31.680 the wherewithal and the passion and everything again the work 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.080 ethic to build with me. We can own not just 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.360 one bus company, when we can own the bus company, 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:40.080 the private car service, the this, the that, and all 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:43.440 types of things if we can build, So would I 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:46.600 feel differently about that? But I know it's a challenge 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:51.640 to find compatible men, not just black, not just whatever, 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:57.120 compatible men who also are of sound character for us today. 0:12:57.559 --> 0:12:58.520 That's all I'm saying. 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:00.000 I get it. 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.320 I get it, So listen to you got to listen 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.520 to the interview and then you have a better understanding 0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:07.840 of this my position or. 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:09.040 What it is, because because I. 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:11.160 Agree disagree with your position. 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.120 No, No, I'm not saying we're not under saying just 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:15.160 so you just have. 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:19.439 Content that a better understanding. And I'm saying that whether 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.080 I have a listen to the video or not, I 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.000 hear what you're saying. But I do think that there 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:27.920 are moments when you say something and you mean it 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:30.679 and you don't care what happens. 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.120 And that's fine, and that's what That's what I'm saying. 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:34.960 I think that that should have been more of a 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:38.320 position in this situation. I think that she she she 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.240 brought into so many different factors and she she brought 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:46.400 in a conversation that was really an individual choice, right, 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.800 and she made she brought in it, and she brought 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:52.920 different factors that didn't coincide with her original point was. 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:54.960 And I think that's what it was to me. So 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:56.760 you if you if your preference is. 0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:58.200 You don't want to date the bus driver and you 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.040 want to date this type of individual, that's fine, and 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:03.600 nobody can't take you from that, and nobody can make 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:05.040 you you don't. 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:08.680 Want to day Yeah, I mean, okay, well you know 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:12.440 some people, some people don't feel as fine. But anyway, 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:17.560 I have not had a chance to sit and listen 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:20.400 to the interviews because I have been spending a great 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:26.160 deal of time really trying to understand the full situation 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:29.440 with Jordan and Neely. And I don't mean the full 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:33.920 situation as in he was choked by a white man 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:37.600 and held down by to other individuals on the train. 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.960 That's understanding all of that is one part, but understanding 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.840 more about who he is and more over, trying to 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:48.440 understand why at this point, which, by the way, for 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.240 those who are listening and those who are watching, we 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:56.480 are taping our shows, taping street politicians. We are taping 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:01.120 street politicians days before you all will see it. I 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.240 talk about this all the time, but repetition is important. 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:08.800 So we filmed you know, when our guests are available, 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.360 and our schedules and what have you. And therefore, as 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:15.600 we are sitting down today, there's still not been an 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:20.360 indictment of the man who is seen in the video 0:15:20.480 --> 0:15:25.640 that is now viral choking Jordan Mealy to death, nor 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:28.760 the other two individuals, one who's a person of color 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.480 and another white man who held him down while he 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:36.840 was being killed. And so at this point we're speaking 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:40.640 from that perspective, and so we don't know the name 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:46.400 of this formal marine, which is interesting because if people 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.560 now know that he's a former marine, and I see 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:53.840 it in actual articles, news articles, it says that he's 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.520 a former marine, that means they have to know who 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:59.040 he is, because you can't say that somebody is a 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:02.040 former marine if you don't know who they are. You 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:05.920 gotta know. And for whatever reason, the media has refused 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:10.280 to put out his name as of today. Why why 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.800 do they not have a problem putting out our names 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:18.600 all the time, telling you everything about our background down 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:20.680 to when we was two years old and spit on 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:21.400 a sidewalk. 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:25.080 That's the fact. You know, the situation was crazy. 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:29.280 Like you said, I really just wanted to understand, and 0:16:29.520 --> 0:16:31.320 like I was saying I was saying to you earlier, 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:36.680 the broader conversation for me is what do we as 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:44.200 just civilians, you know, just just people from the community. 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.560 What are we just allowing to happen in our communities? 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:48.280 Right? 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:50.440 The fact that a man was just sitting there for 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.280 fifteen minutes, just choking another man, I don't know what 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:53.560 it is. 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:57.320 For fifteen minutes people, it was five. 0:16:58.240 --> 0:17:00.920 Okay, Well, even if you just choking somebody for five minutes, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.359 like at some point when you see like it's a 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:06.560 lot of homelessness in the trend, and it's a lot 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:08.919 of mental health on the train. And I don't know 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:10.959 if he needed to be subdued. I don't know if 0:17:11.000 --> 0:17:14.000 he did something that, you know, people felt threatened. And 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:17.520 I'm not saying that the immediate you're holding over him, 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:22.080 putting them, But when you start choking somebody, and as 0:17:22.080 --> 0:17:24.160 an ex marine, you know that you could take their life, 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.880 you know, and you have a skill set and understanding 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:31.400 about these particular holes that you could take somebody's life, right, 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.520 And then people looking on and the people who were 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:37.760 there with him, I just don't know how somebody that said, okay, 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:39.480 just get off and just get up his neck. We 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.879 got him, you know, just hold him, let's hold him here, 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:42.439 don't choke him. 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:43.840 We don't. We're not trying to kill. 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:48.280 Like, I don't understand why there's no more, no more 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:51.359 of a value for life. There's there's a less value 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:54.680 for life. There's a less value for hurting and harming people. 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.600 People are getting numb to hurting and harming people. They 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:02.480 they become accustomed to this level of aggression and violence. 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:04.280 And it's just like, I want to know, how do 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:06.320 we get so far from consciousness. 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:08.560 You know, that's that's a question for me. It's just 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:10.240 like people hold cameras. 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:13.200 They can sit there and see somebody, damn the choking 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:14.639 to death, and you just holding a camera. 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.280 You ain't saying what I'm just saying. 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:20.960 But when the process of him getting to choke to 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:24.680 death there was a process that got did you understand? 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.359 So I I agree with you that the videotape and 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:31.879 is triggering for me, right sometimes. But I do have 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:35.760 a different perspective on this because the person who was 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:39.360 video on, who had a very steady hand, is a journalist, right, 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:43.960 who reports the news, and and he or she they 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:48.760 I think it's a he I have the only account 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:54.080 of what took place, right, And sometimes when you are 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.560 actually in the incident, when you like when you are 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:02.959 a party to the incident happening, your statement of what 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:07.840 took place is one scrutinized and potentially debunked and what 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:10.680 have you. And also you don't know all everything that's 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:14.200 going on, can't see everything, and don't necessarily have all 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:20.199 of the facts straight either, right, So I appreciate the 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:24.240 fact that this man or this person, this journalist, was 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:27.520 able to get a clear cut video and also has 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:34.959 made a very clear, at this point unchallenged statement about 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:41.359 what took place, which is he said that Jordan Neely 0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:46.640 got on the train and said, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:51.560 I'm tired, and I don't care if I go to 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:55.800 jail with some expletives in the middle of all of that, right, 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:58.639 and then he took his jacket and threw it to 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:02.119 the ground, and he said that the white man walked 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:05.600 up behind his back and grabbed him, took him down 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:08.000 to the ground, and then we see what happened on 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:09.119 the video thereafter. 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:11.560 That's crazy. 0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:14.040 So this is what he said, right, So I read 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:15.480 with you about the video thing. I'm just trying to 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:19.520 make sure that we put into proper context. Why it's 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:25.360 also important that we have a very neutral, uninvolved person 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:29.000 who is just filming and just reporting on what took 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:33.960 place to prove what I believe already, because and I 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:40.159 am listen my text messages from people sending me screenshots 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:42.800 of other people's text mess because everybody knows not to 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:45.320 text me and to try to make excuses for what 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:49.840 happened to Jordan Neely. But people are having conversations. The 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:57.280 amount of people who are devastated, stressed out, scared to 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.520 death and everything else of the train because of the 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:03.280 crazy stuff that's going on. People getting spit in the face, 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.760 houseless or unhoused individuals, or people in general because you 0:21:08.760 --> 0:21:13.920 don't know if they're unhoused or not, exposing themselves, hitting people, 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:16.880 throwing people in front of the train, on the train tracks, 0:21:17.160 --> 0:21:22.240 stabbing people. All of these things are real. They're real concerns, 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:24.520 and they're real problems. And I see people in my 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:27.200 comments who are like, you don't know anything about the 0:21:27.240 --> 0:21:29.000 train unless you live in New York and ride. Y'all 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:32.879 have been riding the train my whole entire life. Okay, 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:37.800 don't ride the train today, partially not even because of myself, 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:41.160 but because y'all have pretty much banned me from going 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.240 on the train since you know, at this point, people 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:46.199 know me. And if I'm by myself, if I were 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:47.879 two or three people and we need to get from 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:49.880 one stop to the next in Manhattan, there's no way 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:52.159 I'm gonna be like, oh, we're gonna get in an 0:21:52.320 --> 0:21:54.879 uber and either pay the money or deal with the 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:57.960 traffic we getting on the train. But by myself, I 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:00.400 rode the train, and you know that up until maybe 0:22:00.440 --> 0:22:03.719 about a year or so ago, well around COVID, I 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:06.119 was riding the train up and down, taking the Metro 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:08.239 North to the Then I would get on and by 0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:10.080 the way, people on the Metro North be bugging too. 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.880 But taking the Metro North and then getting on the 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:17.240 regular train to cross over the shuttles, walking through forty 0:22:17.280 --> 0:22:20.040 second Street, walking through a lot of different places and 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:23.600 taking the number five than the two train uptown or whatever. 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:25.840 I did that. So you can't tell me I know 0:22:25.960 --> 0:22:28.639 the trains are crazy. What I'm saying is that you 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:31.080 don't get to kill somebody because we know how the 0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:35.080 trains are. Well, we know how the trains are in quotes, 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:38.680 we know how the trains are. So therefore you get 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:41.439 to kill a person because he was saying things you 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:44.680 didn't like and screaming in a way that you felt uncomfortable. 0:22:44.880 --> 0:22:48.119 If that's the case, fuck it, people could just do whatever. 0:22:48.359 --> 0:22:50.840 I've been making the case all day. If that's the case, 0:22:50.840 --> 0:22:53.560 then we should not lock Pooky up for shooting John John, 0:22:53.920 --> 0:22:57.480 because John John is dangerous. He'dnet have been to jail, 0:22:57.720 --> 0:23:00.880 he'dne made me afraid. The community is it is violence 0:23:00.960 --> 0:23:05.560 everywhere everybody is scared, and he said some ship maybe 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:08.760 to me about me, or he just got came outside 0:23:08.760 --> 0:23:11.400 and was like, I'm aa, fuck everybody up, wait till 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:13.840 you see me, And then I just why can't I 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:14.280 show him? 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:16.440 No, You're right? I will. 0:23:16.560 --> 0:23:19.800 I will say that in these times, if a person 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:23.199 got on the train and set all of that and 0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:28.520 looked kind of deranged, right, I would have probably I 0:23:28.520 --> 0:23:31.719 would have been aware, right, and I wouldn't have been 0:23:31.920 --> 0:23:34.840 I wouldn't have been opposed to somebody holding him, restraining 0:23:34.880 --> 0:23:36.600 him to make sure he didn't have a gun that 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:38.160 he played in an open fire on the train. 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:41.479 I wouldn't have been opposed to that, right, I wouldn't. 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:41.879 I wouldn't. 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:43.760 I would definitely would not have been opposed because if 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:46.760 you get on the train and we've seen people shooting 0:23:46.840 --> 0:23:48.960 up the trains and all that, so if you get 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:50.560 on there and you speaking and you saying you know 0:23:50.640 --> 0:23:51.720 your foot well going to jail. 0:23:52.000 --> 0:23:53.359 I got to make sure you don't gotta go. 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:55.320 Okay, but I don't need to choke. 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:57.560 What I'm trying to say is I hear you don't 0:23:57.560 --> 0:23:58.360 need to choke you. 0:23:59.119 --> 0:24:01.560 It hurts you to make you like once I grab you, 0:24:01.800 --> 0:24:03.399 and I'm like, yo, somebody make sure you don't got 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:06.399 done in this podcast, because maybe that's what but choking 0:24:06.440 --> 0:24:08.879 a man to death who has done no physical harm 0:24:08.920 --> 0:24:13.440 to anybody, who has just said words, just because you 0:24:13.440 --> 0:24:16.600 you harm that man, you assaulted that man, You're to 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:18.600 see what I'm saying, and then you take his life, 0:24:18.640 --> 0:24:19.800 and so you killed that man. 0:24:20.240 --> 0:24:23.320 And that's and that's what I'm saying. I'm saying so 0:24:23.440 --> 0:24:27.320 that we're clear that maybe you did feel threatened, because 0:24:27.359 --> 0:24:30.959 I understand that the train is threatening, I get it. 0:24:31.480 --> 0:24:34.120 All I'm saying is that the fact that that man 0:24:34.320 --> 0:24:37.760 is dead and I don't have any example of physical 0:24:37.920 --> 0:24:44.480 brutal violence, bloodshed, almost bloodshed, I can't accept it. Just 0:24:44.520 --> 0:24:47.040 be talking about mental health, and it is Mental Health 0:24:47.080 --> 0:24:49.919 Awareness Month and we're focused on mental health for the 0:24:49.920 --> 0:24:52.199 rest of the month. And obviously mental health is at 0:24:52.200 --> 0:24:55.760 the center of this discussion. But so many others shooting 0:24:55.800 --> 0:24:59.240 in Atlanta, I mean, just too many things happening. We 0:24:59.359 --> 0:25:02.080 are having a gain come on, and I think we 0:25:02.080 --> 0:25:03.800 should take the rest of our time to bring our 0:25:03.800 --> 0:25:05.360 guests on because we run out my mouse too much 0:25:05.359 --> 0:25:06.880 and we never get to do some of the stuff 0:25:06.880 --> 0:25:09.560 we're supposed to do on the show. So let's introduce 0:25:09.560 --> 0:25:17.480 the guests into the conversation. So we have been joined 0:25:17.520 --> 0:25:21.679 by yesterday. That is really, really someone important to me 0:25:21.880 --> 0:25:24.520 in my life because he is helping me to keep 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:30.080 my mind in order with all of the just wild 0:25:30.119 --> 0:25:33.080 things that's happening in our society. You know that I 0:25:33.200 --> 0:25:38.360 have been doing trauma work unfortunately for a long, long 0:25:38.400 --> 0:25:41.000 long time, and you've joined me on this journey and 0:25:41.240 --> 0:25:44.680 it is mentally taxing not to mention all the personal 0:25:44.680 --> 0:25:46.960 stuff that we have to deal with in our lives. 0:25:47.000 --> 0:25:51.120 And so my doctor is joining us today and that's 0:25:51.160 --> 0:25:54.719 doctor Michael Practice. So let me just tell you about 0:25:54.720 --> 0:25:57.320 how much of a boss he is because beyond just 0:25:57.400 --> 0:25:59.600 being you know, which I think is pretty important, just 0:25:59.640 --> 0:26:05.720 being doctor, but he has some other very very impressive 0:26:06.520 --> 0:26:10.560 things that he has done. He's a psychiatrist by trade 0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:16.119 and has also had deep study in neurology. So psychiatrists 0:26:16.119 --> 0:26:20.640 and a neurologist, which you know, we folks don't understand 0:26:21.119 --> 0:26:24.159 that it's important to understand the brain and how things 0:26:24.280 --> 0:26:27.040 operate and what triggers people in order to be a 0:26:27.200 --> 0:26:32.239 good psychiatrist and doctor dealing with mental health issues. And 0:26:32.280 --> 0:26:36.560 then he's worked with the New York State Commission of Correction. 0:26:37.160 --> 0:26:42.719 Uh and so we know, we know how serious it 0:26:42.880 --> 0:26:46.679 is that we have people in the system in New 0:26:46.760 --> 0:26:50.280 York who are black, black men working with and you know, 0:26:50.359 --> 0:26:53.280 trying to help make some some changes within the system. 0:26:53.560 --> 0:26:57.600 He's worked at Saint John's Hospital, has been in the 0:26:57.640 --> 0:27:01.840 psych emergency room department, and has a host of clients, 0:27:01.880 --> 0:27:05.560 including young children. So I want folks to know that 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:08.560 we didn't just go fine to Meeka's doctor, who's just 0:27:08.640 --> 0:27:11.200 a regular guy that you know, does some things. Know, 0:27:11.400 --> 0:27:15.960 this man is celebrated, decorated, and has a very long 0:27:16.119 --> 0:27:19.480 history in dealing with the mental health of so many 0:27:19.520 --> 0:27:23.479 people and especially us as African Americans. So I'm proud 0:27:23.600 --> 0:27:27.119 today to introduce to some people my son and I 0:27:27.200 --> 0:27:31.160 know you well, Michael Praz Thank. 0:27:31.000 --> 0:27:31.600 You so much. 0:27:32.080 --> 0:27:33.880 Peace. How are you feeling today, man? 0:27:34.320 --> 0:27:35.720 Feeling enthusiastic? 0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:39.679 So, yeah, that's that's good. I wouldn't feel like that. 0:27:40.119 --> 0:27:42.720 I've been There's been so much going on, you know. 0:27:43.280 --> 0:27:46.000 I want to ask you a question. Being at his 0:27:46.600 --> 0:27:51.160 Mental health Awareness month, you know, and we just had 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:54.560 this situation on the train that just happened with Jordan 0:27:54.640 --> 0:28:01.919 nearly and the train station seems like it is overloaded 0:28:02.280 --> 0:28:05.800 with mental health issues, you know, and people who have 0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:08.600 mental health issues. It's like so many people on the trains. 0:28:08.680 --> 0:28:11.080 That's one of the major things that we talk about 0:28:11.359 --> 0:28:12.720 and we hear a bond the trains. 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:13.919 What is your take on. 0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:18.640 Can we also just say, because I want to make 0:28:18.680 --> 0:28:23.120 sure that people do not believe or do not walk 0:28:23.160 --> 0:28:25.760 away with the narrative that just the people that you 0:28:25.920 --> 0:28:29.880 see sleeping on the train yelling out people who are 0:28:29.880 --> 0:28:32.680 on house that they are the only ones that are 0:28:32.720 --> 0:28:35.480 having mental health issues on the train. You can see 0:28:35.520 --> 0:28:38.160 people who are professionally dressed and look like they got 0:28:38.200 --> 0:28:42.320 it going on, who are also dealing with mental health challenges. 0:28:43.760 --> 0:28:43.960 Sure. 0:28:44.040 --> 0:28:47.239 Yeah, mental health challenges is a very broad category and 0:28:47.280 --> 0:28:50.040 it's a spectrum. It goes from you know, highly functioning 0:28:50.080 --> 0:28:52.240 people who may just have a little bit of anxiety 0:28:53.200 --> 0:28:56.400 down to people with significant what we call serious and 0:28:56.480 --> 0:29:03.520 persistent mental illness. Are one the majority of people with 0:29:03.640 --> 0:29:09.640 mental illness are not aggressive. They actually are disproportionately victimized, 0:29:10.000 --> 0:29:13.760 So it's really important that we maintain compassion. These are 0:29:13.800 --> 0:29:18.520 individuals who have impaired thinking, their thought process, their ability 0:29:18.560 --> 0:29:22.880 to solve problems is impaired, and so what you'll find 0:29:23.160 --> 0:29:27.760 is more basic instincts like wanting to be warm versus 0:29:27.760 --> 0:29:31.880 being cold, wanting to feel dry versus being wet. And 0:29:31.920 --> 0:29:35.360 so a place like a subway is a dormitory in 0:29:35.400 --> 0:29:38.240 a sense, it's a shelter as compared to being on 0:29:38.280 --> 0:29:41.480 the street. So what we could do is use these 0:29:42.840 --> 0:29:48.680 places that naturally attract folks who are having difficulty making decisions, 0:29:49.160 --> 0:29:54.000 and we can put people in those places to act 0:29:54.160 --> 0:29:59.480 as monitors, act as folks who could potentially provide a service. 0:30:00.400 --> 0:30:03.200 And so we should number one, think about bringing the 0:30:03.240 --> 0:30:07.680 service to the people because services has already existed in 0:30:07.760 --> 0:30:12.200 New York and so there is no shortage of doctors. 0:30:12.240 --> 0:30:14.080 Now there may be a weight or an appointment, but 0:30:14.200 --> 0:30:16.880 anyone who sort of really wants mental health and has 0:30:16.920 --> 0:30:19.160 the ability to pay for it can get it. So 0:30:19.200 --> 0:30:21.800 now we're talking about people who either don't have the 0:30:21.840 --> 0:30:24.200 ability to pay for it or don't have access to it. 0:30:24.320 --> 0:30:28.000 Where we need to be looking to lower the burden 0:30:28.200 --> 0:30:32.400 of access to care, moving care to places where people 0:30:32.520 --> 0:30:38.280 are to homeless, shelters to bus terminals, subway stations, et cetera. 0:30:40.480 --> 0:30:47.360 So you're saying that you support having actual practitioners if 0:30:47.400 --> 0:30:51.800 you will in the train station, maybe riding the trains, 0:30:51.880 --> 0:30:54.880 to work with and talk to individuals. And now the 0:30:54.960 --> 0:30:57.600 next question is going to be I'm sure, because we've 0:30:57.600 --> 0:30:59.840 got a certain type of audience. Some of them are 0:31:00.520 --> 0:31:03.880 semi or want to be bougie or very bougie or 0:31:04.040 --> 0:31:09.479 the spectrum. They will say that what happens to that 0:31:09.600 --> 0:31:13.280 mental health professional if a problem breaks out? How do 0:31:13.320 --> 0:31:15.200 they deal with their own safety? 0:31:16.440 --> 0:31:21.680 Sure, the way we have dealt with safety issues involving 0:31:21.960 --> 0:31:28.040 mental health employees of folks who deliver care is with 0:31:28.160 --> 0:31:31.959 law enforcement. That's not necessarily the best tool, but that 0:31:32.200 --> 0:31:35.200 is what is existing today. If you go into a 0:31:35.480 --> 0:31:41.600 psychiatric emergency room and you're unable to contain yourself, security 0:31:41.720 --> 0:31:46.040 will physically help you out of that situation, and so 0:31:46.120 --> 0:31:51.960 it does. Unfortunately, sometimes folks will need hands on. But 0:31:52.080 --> 0:31:57.080 I would feel more comfortable if that the entire interaction 0:31:57.320 --> 0:32:00.640 was based on a mental health call rather than a 0:32:00.800 --> 0:32:05.520 criminal call. I think the police officers may have a 0:32:05.600 --> 0:32:11.080 slightly different attitude toward training, toward responding toward emotional crisis, 0:32:11.360 --> 0:32:15.160 which is different than law enforcement where you want right 0:32:15.200 --> 0:32:18.440 to force a person to comply. Many times people having 0:32:18.440 --> 0:32:21.600 a mental health crisis aren't thinking clearly, and they don't 0:32:21.640 --> 0:32:24.840 even understand the demands that you're putting on them. They 0:32:24.880 --> 0:32:27.840 either don't understand it or in some way they're paranoid 0:32:27.960 --> 0:32:32.080 or having some other kind of interpretation of what you're saying, 0:32:32.560 --> 0:32:35.480 and so in their mind they may be responding appropriately. 0:32:35.520 --> 0:32:38.520 And if your goal as a police officer is to 0:32:38.600 --> 0:32:42.720 simply enforce the commands that you're giving, you're going to 0:32:42.800 --> 0:32:46.480 have a lot of conflict and hurt people. So I'm 0:32:46.520 --> 0:32:52.200 advocating for bringing services to places where you find people 0:32:52.320 --> 0:32:55.600 who need those services. That's what I'm advocating for. The 0:32:55.640 --> 0:32:59.320 specifics of that will need to be flushed out. 0:33:00.080 --> 0:33:04.160 So when we look at you know, when we look 0:33:04.160 --> 0:33:11.240 at this situation in general, right and we see we 0:33:11.440 --> 0:33:13.600 from the reports that we were getting, what happened to 0:33:13.600 --> 0:33:13.880 the man? 0:33:13.960 --> 0:33:16.920 They said, they say that he came onto the train 0:33:17.680 --> 0:33:19.239 and he was very all right. 0:33:19.320 --> 0:33:22.160 He said he was hungry, he said he was tired, 0:33:22.480 --> 0:33:26.240 and he then Kivy went to jail. And how would 0:33:26.280 --> 0:33:29.239 you tell just the average citizen, because a lot of 0:33:29.280 --> 0:33:32.960 average citizens are just scared. You know when you see 0:33:32.960 --> 0:33:36.560 someone in that mental capacity, like we don't. We're not trained, 0:33:36.600 --> 0:33:39.320 So sometimes we might need to hear from people like 0:33:39.360 --> 0:33:41.880 yourself that would know what to do in that situation. 0:33:41.960 --> 0:33:45.400 What would you advise in situations like that? 0:33:46.160 --> 0:33:48.280 Yeah, I have a couple of thoughts. One is it 0:33:49.120 --> 0:33:52.479 is unfortunate that people are so scared, but part of 0:33:52.520 --> 0:33:56.160 that is our fault. When we let the most needy, 0:33:56.840 --> 0:34:01.680 the most mentally unstable people go without services and go 0:34:01.880 --> 0:34:05.480 untreated in our community and they act out as they're 0:34:05.520 --> 0:34:08.680 trying to put two and two together, it does impact 0:34:09.320 --> 0:34:13.600 the citizens of that neighborhood and then they do react 0:34:14.120 --> 0:34:16.360 in a way that is more scared. But that is 0:34:16.480 --> 0:34:22.360 largely on our failure to address the undercare of these people. 0:34:22.400 --> 0:34:25.000 So let's get that point out there first. So people 0:34:25.040 --> 0:34:27.839 are now reacting to the fact that they know their 0:34:27.960 --> 0:34:32.839 untreated mental health of individuals wandering around without access to care. 0:34:33.080 --> 0:34:34.000 That should. 0:34:35.200 --> 0:34:39.040 Make all of us a little hesitant. So what you 0:34:39.080 --> 0:34:44.080 want to do is always be a safe distance from someone. 0:34:44.640 --> 0:34:49.000 And what I would like is for us for our 0:34:49.520 --> 0:34:52.680 citizens to have access to be able to have a 0:34:52.760 --> 0:34:55.400 number to call. Maybe you know, we say see something, 0:34:55.480 --> 0:34:58.440 say something, Maybe we make a big push to help 0:34:58.920 --> 0:35:01.080 our folks who seem to be in need. If you 0:35:01.120 --> 0:35:04.839 see someone who seems to be having an emotional meltdown, 0:35:05.120 --> 0:35:07.160 you can call this number or you can do that 0:35:07.239 --> 0:35:11.680 and people who are competent in that area can respond 0:35:11.920 --> 0:35:12.800 or could respond. 0:35:13.360 --> 0:35:17.799 Would you approach a person like that? Just you being? 0:35:17.920 --> 0:35:19.799 I mean, I know you. So you go up to 0:35:19.880 --> 0:35:21.920 young kids in the park that could be fighting, it 0:35:21.920 --> 0:35:24.359 looks like it's going to get violent, and you may 0:35:24.560 --> 0:35:28.120 go up to them and try to help to de escalate. 0:35:28.880 --> 0:35:32.279 But in that situation, do you, or any situations like that, 0:35:33.000 --> 0:35:36.600 would you feel comfortable approaching them? Or would you try 0:35:36.680 --> 0:35:40.319 to just keep everybody else around calm to let that, 0:35:40.440 --> 0:35:42.040 you know, to maybe get off the train at the 0:35:42.120 --> 0:35:43.920 next stop, Like, how would you handle it? 0:35:44.440 --> 0:35:47.480 Yeah? I think you know, those kind of common sense 0:35:48.320 --> 0:35:53.000 solutions are what I would advocate for. But I guess 0:35:53.360 --> 0:35:59.000 the starting position that here's another human being who is 0:35:59.280 --> 0:36:02.839 in distress us, and there's nothing wrong with asking, hey, 0:36:02.880 --> 0:36:06.439 is there something? Is there something I can do? Are 0:36:06.440 --> 0:36:10.040 you okay? There's nothing wrong with having a conversation from 0:36:10.120 --> 0:36:14.319 a safe distance, which is about how the distance for 0:36:14.400 --> 0:36:16.000 you to get hit. You want to sort of stay 0:36:16.040 --> 0:36:19.440 out out of that striking range. So I don't find 0:36:19.480 --> 0:36:23.600 there's anything wrong with if it seems appropriate to see 0:36:23.600 --> 0:36:26.680 if a person needs help. I don't see anything wrong 0:36:26.760 --> 0:36:31.279 with if that person responds to you in a positive way. 0:36:31.320 --> 0:36:34.040 You got to be careful. Sometimes I talk to folks 0:36:34.080 --> 0:36:36.920 as a professional and they start to escalate, and then 0:36:37.000 --> 0:36:39.719 I know to back away, which is sort of opposite 0:36:39.760 --> 0:36:42.560 of what sort of law enforcement and other people are trained. 0:36:42.600 --> 0:36:45.840 When you resist, they sort of push up the force, 0:36:46.120 --> 0:36:49.520 whereas when folks with mental health issues push back, we 0:36:49.680 --> 0:36:54.160 really back away and give them room. Yeah, I would 0:36:54.600 --> 0:36:58.319 encourage people around to calm down, maybe give this man 0:36:58.360 --> 0:37:01.319 some room to see if he would get off at 0:37:01.320 --> 0:37:03.839 the next stop. I don't think there's anything wrong with 0:37:05.200 --> 0:37:08.240 saying something kind or hair Are you okay? 0:37:08.360 --> 0:37:10.560 Oh no? So I was about to ask two questions. 0:37:11.280 --> 0:37:14.080 There was there was a procedure of process that you 0:37:14.080 --> 0:37:16.839 you were discussing with us before we started. I want 0:37:16.880 --> 0:37:18.880 you to go into that because I think that was 0:37:19.040 --> 0:37:22.560 pretty much brilliance. And maybe this is kind of along 0:37:22.600 --> 0:37:27.160 the same lines. But I think since we see, like 0:37:27.239 --> 0:37:31.440 you said that the train station is sort of like 0:37:31.480 --> 0:37:36.160 a dormitory from people who are experiencing mental health, why 0:37:36.800 --> 0:37:39.680 it would be common sense to me that we have 0:37:40.080 --> 0:37:45.000 mental health workers within the MTA and stops alone. 0:37:45.280 --> 0:37:48.400 We got so many cops, right. The thing is this, we. 0:37:48.200 --> 0:37:52.880 We America has said that we could just put cops 0:37:52.880 --> 0:37:55.439 everywhere and it's gonna stop very So if we got 0:37:55.480 --> 0:37:59.920 three cops, why not have one cop or maybe two cops. 0:37:59.680 --> 0:38:02.440 In a mental health worker at every station that they 0:38:02.440 --> 0:38:03.120 can talk to me. 0:38:03.160 --> 0:38:06.360 Because people are experiencing mental health more then they have it. 0:38:06.480 --> 0:38:07.800 Then the violence in the front. 0:38:07.680 --> 0:38:10.480 Most of those things are as a result, in my 0:38:10.640 --> 0:38:13.200 mind or what I believe, as a result of people 0:38:13.200 --> 0:38:14.640 dealing with mental health issues. 0:38:14.680 --> 0:38:17.359 So do you think that would be, you know, a 0:38:17.360 --> 0:38:18.000 good solution. 0:38:19.000 --> 0:38:21.840 I think that would be an excellent solution in a 0:38:22.360 --> 0:38:24.840 in a more ideal setting. And I don't want to 0:38:24.880 --> 0:38:30.600 be jaded, but the reality is, the budgets, from my understanding, 0:38:30.680 --> 0:38:32.880 you know, don't have a lot of extra room to 0:38:33.000 --> 0:38:35.640 hire a bunch of new folks. Would that be better? 0:38:35.719 --> 0:38:38.840 It would be better. But there are some solutions and 0:38:38.920 --> 0:38:43.680 ideas that are currently in place. If we approached and 0:38:43.719 --> 0:38:45.960 looked at the laws maybe a little bit differently. So 0:38:46.040 --> 0:38:49.080 I'll tell you new York is different than most states, 0:38:49.120 --> 0:38:53.400 and that we have designated psychiatric emergency room called CPEP 0:38:53.840 --> 0:39:00.839 or Comprehensive Psychiatric Right Emergency Programs. These are places, they're dedicated, freestanding. 0:39:00.920 --> 0:39:05.880 There's one at Bellevue, King's County and the Bronx, multiple 0:39:05.920 --> 0:39:09.200 places throughout the city, all through upstate New York. They're 0:39:09.239 --> 0:39:14.480 based upon the population to serve a certain number of people. 0:39:15.640 --> 0:39:20.040 These facilities have the ability to evaluate people twenty four 0:39:20.040 --> 0:39:24.520 to seven and keep people in the hospital if and 0:39:24.560 --> 0:39:27.759 give them the care that they need. The problem is 0:39:27.800 --> 0:39:29.640 how do you get someone there? And the way that 0:39:29.680 --> 0:39:33.040 the laws set now and this already exists, if a 0:39:33.080 --> 0:39:36.719 family member or I can even do this for one 0:39:36.760 --> 0:39:39.040 of my patients, I could write what's called a pickup 0:39:39.160 --> 0:39:46.360 order saying that I empower the whoever whatever law enforcement 0:39:47.719 --> 0:39:50.680 officer comes across this person, that I put on the 0:39:50.760 --> 0:39:55.600 paper to take that person to the nearest psychiatric emergency room. Right, 0:39:56.239 --> 0:40:01.080 and that pickup order already empowers any law enforcement agency 0:40:01.239 --> 0:40:03.719 to not only pick the person up, but take them 0:40:03.800 --> 0:40:08.800 to get care. The problem is that it's a reactionary law. 0:40:09.239 --> 0:40:12.160 It has to be implemented, and so I've been trying 0:40:12.200 --> 0:40:14.920 to push for the idea to see if we couldn't 0:40:14.960 --> 0:40:17.319 get our mayor to see if in a legal way, 0:40:18.080 --> 0:40:23.200 we can't empower our law enforcement agents already given the 0:40:23.200 --> 0:40:27.160 fact that this is a crisis and therefore identifying someone 0:40:27.160 --> 0:40:32.040 who's clearly in an emotional decompensated state can be then 0:40:32.200 --> 0:40:35.960 taken to a psychiatric emergency room. The excuse has been 0:40:36.200 --> 0:40:39.600 they're not committing a crime, I can't arrest them. You 0:40:39.640 --> 0:40:43.359 don't just arrest people. You also, when engaged, can act 0:40:43.480 --> 0:40:48.480 as a transporter to a mental health facility. This already exists, 0:40:48.800 --> 0:40:52.440 and it should be enacted in a proactive way. And 0:40:52.480 --> 0:40:55.279 what you would see is, and again officers would need 0:40:55.320 --> 0:40:57.640 more training. More folks would need more training. But as 0:40:57.640 --> 0:41:02.400 you see typical symptoms of someone who's in distress, that 0:41:02.400 --> 0:41:04.480 that police officer will be able to take that person 0:41:04.719 --> 0:41:06.440 into care immediately. 0:41:06.840 --> 0:41:07.000 You know. 0:41:07.160 --> 0:41:09.600 It's so I'm listening to everything you're saying, and I 0:41:09.680 --> 0:41:12.360 hear it, and it's right right. It sounds right like 0:41:13.200 --> 0:41:16.680 we've got to be able to transport people, which I 0:41:16.719 --> 0:41:24.240 guess was the initial concept that Eric Adams, Mayor Adams 0:41:24.280 --> 0:41:28.240 and New York was talking about having people remove from 0:41:28.600 --> 0:41:32.360 you know, wherever outsleeping outside, outside of businesses, on the 0:41:32.440 --> 0:41:36.440 train and taken to a facility so that they can 0:41:36.480 --> 0:41:41.239 get help. Sometimes the way in which Mayor Adams speaks 0:41:42.000 --> 0:41:45.759 his tone, people don't like it, you know, and even 0:41:45.800 --> 0:41:48.479 I have felt uncomfortable with the way in which things 0:41:48.480 --> 0:41:51.600 are said and how you lead, right because people want 0:41:51.640 --> 0:41:56.800 to hear compassion, especially when you're talking about very very 0:41:56.960 --> 0:42:00.839 very vulnerable, a very very vulnerable part of the population, 0:42:01.200 --> 0:42:04.200 which sometimes it could be black men that we're talking 0:42:04.239 --> 0:42:06.920 about in poerals that are not unhoused, or you know, 0:42:07.040 --> 0:42:09.799 black children or whatever. We want you to lead with 0:42:09.960 --> 0:42:13.319 so much compassion first and then get to the part 0:42:13.360 --> 0:42:16.200 about is what are the steps so I hear you. 0:42:16.680 --> 0:42:23.000 What I'm challenged with is how the systems in America 0:42:23.040 --> 0:42:26.160 and in New York and across this country have failed 0:42:26.600 --> 0:42:30.239 black and brown people so much. And because we are 0:42:30.280 --> 0:42:35.279 the ones who have the most visible signs of all 0:42:35.320 --> 0:42:39.920 the things, you know, and that's everything, every statistic, every 0:42:40.160 --> 0:42:43.800 health concern, every challenge, we have the most visible because 0:42:43.840 --> 0:42:47.560 we have the most poverty, and therefore most of us 0:42:47.600 --> 0:42:51.640 are the ones on the train having the mental health issues, 0:42:51.719 --> 0:42:55.680 meeting housing and what happened, it is very scary for 0:42:55.800 --> 0:43:02.160 people to even consider supporting a plan for the same 0:43:02.320 --> 0:43:05.560 officers who, even when folks are not having mental health 0:43:07.080 --> 0:43:10.560 to would have to engage them. So it's like, how 0:43:10.600 --> 0:43:12.279 do we ever move the car? 0:43:13.840 --> 0:43:14.080 Sure? 0:43:14.239 --> 0:43:17.319 So, you know, let's just be really clear, we uh 0:43:17.440 --> 0:43:25.680 as as black folks have survived this genocide attempt, you know, 0:43:26.320 --> 0:43:31.000 throughout throughout history, and we have suffered the consequences of 0:43:31.360 --> 0:43:33.799 you know, systemic racism, and so you do see a 0:43:33.840 --> 0:43:37.960 disproportion of amount of men separated from their families and 0:43:38.480 --> 0:43:42.000 in poverty secondary to hundreds of years of just racism 0:43:42.040 --> 0:43:46.919 and discrimination. When you combine that with the fact that 0:43:47.560 --> 0:43:52.640 due to racism and discrimination, symptoms that are presented to 0:43:52.880 --> 0:43:57.640 individuals who don't usually work with black folks are largely misinterpreted, 0:43:57.960 --> 0:44:03.040 and you see higher rates of inaccurate diagnosis, incorrect medications. 0:44:03.400 --> 0:44:06.680 They tend to over prescribe for black boys. Any child 0:44:06.719 --> 0:44:09.799 that's in any system, whether it's shild protect or foster care, 0:44:09.840 --> 0:44:12.440 any or whatever, is four times more likely to be 0:44:12.480 --> 0:44:15.880 on a psychotropic medication. Unnecessarily. I spent a lot of 0:44:15.880 --> 0:44:19.160 my time taking kids off of medication, and so that's 0:44:19.480 --> 0:44:23.920 the consequence of race. The current crisis that we have 0:44:24.239 --> 0:44:30.080 requires us to do something. And what I am proposing is, yes, 0:44:30.760 --> 0:44:34.520 our police officers have many, many, many challenges, and it 0:44:34.640 --> 0:44:37.880 is yet another burden. But what I'm saying to me 0:44:38.200 --> 0:44:41.160 is this, this system is already in place, and we 0:44:41.239 --> 0:44:46.560 can turn this on today. This would serve to bring people. 0:44:46.840 --> 0:44:49.640 What I'm advocating for is if you see someone in distress, 0:44:49.680 --> 0:44:52.000 and again these officers would need to be trained on this, 0:44:52.360 --> 0:44:54.279 and it seems reasonable, you would bring them to the 0:44:54.360 --> 0:44:58.080 SEAPEP and then the officer is gone. Now the patient 0:44:58.120 --> 0:45:00.319 is in my care. Now I can go in and 0:45:00.400 --> 0:45:03.799 do a psychiatric evaluation. And if you don't need to 0:45:03.840 --> 0:45:06.239 be in a psychiatric facility, I'm not going to keep 0:45:06.320 --> 0:45:09.040 you there. But that should be where the that's where 0:45:09.080 --> 0:45:10.440 the mental health people are. 0:45:10.840 --> 0:45:11.200 And so. 0:45:13.800 --> 0:45:16.240 Or maybe we say, hey, it looks like your primary 0:45:16.239 --> 0:45:19.560 issue actually is medical. A lot of times there's sometimes 0:45:19.560 --> 0:45:23.760 there's underlying medical conditions that you're unaware of. When somebody 0:45:23.840 --> 0:45:26.080 has on ten coats and ten pair of pants, you 0:45:26.080 --> 0:45:28.600 don't know what their skin looks like, you don't know 0:45:28.640 --> 0:45:32.960 what that diabetic foot looks like, and they're confused and disoriented. Right, 0:45:33.040 --> 0:45:38.160 so people who are acting in an unsafe way need 0:45:38.200 --> 0:45:41.680 to be evaluated, and right now we have a system 0:45:41.719 --> 0:45:44.160 in place that could function to bring those folks in 0:45:44.640 --> 0:45:48.719 then be handed off to mental health professionals from SEAPEPS. 0:45:48.840 --> 0:45:51.759 And again, my SEAPEP directors are probably going to be 0:45:51.800 --> 0:45:54.080 upset with me, but it would be it would be 0:45:54.920 --> 0:45:57.800 more funding into the SEAPEP to be able to respond 0:45:57.800 --> 0:46:00.759 to these But from there then we could send you 0:46:00.800 --> 0:46:03.560 to a shelter, we could send you to you to 0:46:03.640 --> 0:46:06.640 a rehab, we can get you on you know, if 0:46:06.640 --> 0:46:11.360 you need replacement for heroin addiction. All of that comes 0:46:11.400 --> 0:46:14.880 from SEAPEPS, and it already exists. We already send people 0:46:15.000 --> 0:46:16.960 there today. 0:46:17.640 --> 0:46:19.879 And I guess it might sid I know you wanted 0:46:19.920 --> 0:46:22.319 to jump in, but I guess what I'm saying, which 0:46:22.360 --> 0:46:27.320 we are all saying, is that the transport issue is problematic. 0:46:27.480 --> 0:46:30.600 Just how so, perhaps what we're saying is that there 0:46:30.600 --> 0:46:33.520 has to be a SEAPEP model that is brought to 0:46:33.560 --> 0:46:35.480 the people. I mean, you said that. You started out 0:46:35.719 --> 0:46:39.040 saying we've got to go to where the problem is 0:46:39.320 --> 0:46:41.400 and work with the communities, and that is the same 0:46:43.239 --> 0:46:46.440 sort of model and mentality that we were we work 0:46:46.600 --> 0:46:51.200 under as organizers that we've got to go to where 0:46:51.600 --> 0:46:54.320 the people are and not assume that because we posted 0:46:54.320 --> 0:46:56.440 a thing on social media that folks are going to 0:46:56.520 --> 0:47:01.239 show up, not that because we set up a you know, 0:47:01.280 --> 0:47:04.120 a food pantry at a church or in a building, 0:47:04.360 --> 0:47:07.280 that people are gonna come there to get the services. 0:47:07.440 --> 0:47:09.920 Some people will, some people will were talking about the 0:47:09.920 --> 0:47:13.160 rest that don't. 0:47:11.920 --> 0:47:15.279 Take it to the corner that they walk past frequently, 0:47:15.640 --> 0:47:19.960 maybe even knock on doors to provide those things. And 0:47:19.760 --> 0:47:24.200 I and that would require us to take mental health very, 0:47:24.360 --> 0:47:29.680 very seriously. It would require us to shift funding maybe 0:47:29.719 --> 0:47:32.560 from some places and look at the ways in which 0:47:32.600 --> 0:47:36.239 we fund programs now, because when we say that there 0:47:36.239 --> 0:47:39.120 may or may not be any money, well is we're 0:47:39.120 --> 0:47:43.319 militarizing police every day, We're buying equipment that is so 0:47:43.400 --> 0:47:48.960 expensive that and waits for a potential crisis versus using 0:47:49.040 --> 0:47:52.400 those dollars to deal with housing and health and whatever. 0:47:52.719 --> 0:47:55.360 So that's my little rant in my soapbox. But I 0:47:55.400 --> 0:47:57.359 do have one question because I want to shift because 0:47:57.360 --> 0:47:59.399 I know it's time for you and us to go 0:48:00.640 --> 0:48:04.960 young people. First of all, we saw just here in 0:48:05.239 --> 0:48:09.640 the last few days again mass shootings are happening just often, 0:48:09.840 --> 0:48:16.160 too often. And there's a young man who he shot 0:48:16.360 --> 0:48:19.319 and killed one person, shot several people with I guess 0:48:19.320 --> 0:48:23.720 sixty six people in Atlanta, all women between the ages 0:48:23.760 --> 0:48:27.120 of twenty and seventy. One of the on the younger 0:48:27.160 --> 0:48:30.120 side of that number, a person died, a woman died. 0:48:30.680 --> 0:48:35.880 His mother said he's been a mess since his medicine 0:48:35.920 --> 0:48:40.000 got messed up. There are people listening. I have friends, 0:48:40.320 --> 0:48:43.800 and it's no secret that the reason why you became 0:48:43.880 --> 0:48:47.560 my doctor is because I suffered an addiction issue connected 0:48:47.600 --> 0:48:50.560 to my own mental health challenges, and you walk me 0:48:50.680 --> 0:48:54.280 through that. I have had people doing my hair, doing 0:48:54.320 --> 0:48:59.759 my makeup, doctor Pratz, people helping me, you know, at events. 0:49:00.160 --> 0:49:04.279 Maybe they're the photographer. Since they've heard my story, since 0:49:04.320 --> 0:49:07.439 I've been telling the story, they whisper. They don't say 0:49:07.440 --> 0:49:11.879 it in public. Celebrities send me messages and they say, hey, 0:49:12.800 --> 0:49:15.880 what do I do you know my family member or 0:49:15.960 --> 0:49:19.799 I'm asking for a friend. How did you get off of, 0:49:20.120 --> 0:49:23.120 you know, whatever you were addicted to. I don't always 0:49:23.160 --> 0:49:26.400 have an answer. I don't and I would, you know. 0:49:26.440 --> 0:49:29.040 I'd love for you to talk to those families today 0:49:29.120 --> 0:49:31.279 during mental health Awareness mon we're suppoed to talk about 0:49:31.280 --> 0:49:34.279 young people and black men and somehow we all over here. 0:49:34.480 --> 0:49:40.239 But for people who are listening today mental Health Awareness Month, 0:49:40.719 --> 0:49:43.560 what is the message about how you get your self 0:49:43.600 --> 0:49:47.000 help and or people around you? And just make sure 0:49:47.640 --> 0:49:51.000 as you're talking about this, include a peace about the shame, 0:49:51.680 --> 0:49:55.840 because most people that's what is the barrier for them. 0:49:56.160 --> 0:49:59.120 Yeah, you know, part of the pressure that's been put 0:49:59.160 --> 0:50:01.279 on us is you got to be twice as good 0:50:02.280 --> 0:50:07.680 where you know, particularly black women are expected to you know, 0:50:07.760 --> 0:50:11.160 function at the highest capacity no matter what they're hired for. 0:50:11.719 --> 0:50:14.920 And so then what ends up happening is the pressure 0:50:14.960 --> 0:50:18.120 that's put on us causes us to neglect our not 0:50:18.160 --> 0:50:21.200 just our mental health care, but also our medical care. 0:50:21.320 --> 0:50:24.080 So you know, our brothers getting their prostate exams and 0:50:24.760 --> 0:50:27.399 their blood pressures and things like that. And so I think, 0:50:27.440 --> 0:50:29.239 first of all, you know, we have to really get 0:50:29.280 --> 0:50:31.960 out of that mindset that we need to be twice 0:50:32.000 --> 0:50:35.800 as good and that we being good doesn't include taking 0:50:35.800 --> 0:50:38.440 care of ourselves. So we need to put self care first. 0:50:38.600 --> 0:50:40.440 I hope that what you'll do is post my book 0:50:40.480 --> 0:50:43.839 on your website is called Mind Matters, a resource guide 0:50:43.840 --> 0:50:47.360 for black people, serving black communities, for black communities. And 0:50:47.960 --> 0:50:49.919 what we do in this book is is really talk 0:50:49.960 --> 0:50:53.839 about mental illness in very plain terms. Anyone can read 0:50:53.880 --> 0:50:55.920 this book. It goes through all of the diagnosis and 0:50:56.000 --> 0:50:58.600 what this would do for you and your family members 0:50:58.680 --> 0:51:01.920 is give you the world. It's in plain language to 0:51:02.000 --> 0:51:06.000 be able to express to your doctor, to your therapist 0:51:06.239 --> 0:51:10.160 what these concerns are. Frequently it seems scary the symptoms. 0:51:10.440 --> 0:51:13.359 They seem, you know, in some way like they I've 0:51:13.360 --> 0:51:16.200 heard people say, oh, they're possessed, or there's something spiritual. 0:51:16.560 --> 0:51:20.560 This is biologically based, and it would help us to 0:51:21.320 --> 0:51:25.840 become more familiar with mental health. It's something that we 0:51:25.960 --> 0:51:29.279 have looked at with shame and embarrassment. I get the 0:51:29.280 --> 0:51:32.520 same thing wherever I go. I give these talks, and 0:51:33.200 --> 0:51:34.919 when I ask people to raise their hand if they 0:51:35.120 --> 0:51:37.520 don't have any issues, no one ever raises their hand. 0:51:37.560 --> 0:51:39.480 But before I could get the door, they're pulling my coat, 0:51:39.560 --> 0:51:44.280 slipping me their number, doing all kinds of things because 0:51:44.360 --> 0:51:46.560 they actually do have this need. So I think that's 0:51:46.640 --> 0:51:49.800 number one. The second point is that mental health services 0:51:49.840 --> 0:51:52.360 are available right now now. A lot of it is online, 0:51:52.360 --> 0:51:54.839 and I do realize it's not as good as face 0:51:54.880 --> 0:51:58.040 to face, but I promise you having a therapist and 0:51:58.080 --> 0:52:00.799 someone to contact online in a crisis is better than 0:52:00.880 --> 0:52:03.120 no one. It's better than no one. So I would 0:52:03.160 --> 0:52:08.160 encourage people to use on some of these online access, 0:52:08.200 --> 0:52:11.000 online access to mental health services and thirty. This is 0:52:11.040 --> 0:52:13.279 just my opinion. We really need to do more in 0:52:13.320 --> 0:52:16.799 the schools. We need to be more leaning more towards 0:52:16.800 --> 0:52:21.200 emotional intelligence. The mental health is of the end of it, 0:52:21.239 --> 0:52:24.000 but we should be picking up kids in the beginning. 0:52:24.040 --> 0:52:27.719 When they're hungry, that's a predictor of mental health. When 0:52:27.760 --> 0:52:30.600 you see they're wearing tattered clothes, that's a predictor of 0:52:30.640 --> 0:52:33.960 mental health. When they're failing their grades before you put 0:52:34.000 --> 0:52:36.799 them in special edg I'm trying to get these kids 0:52:36.800 --> 0:52:39.160 out of special ed. How about we start doing mental 0:52:39.239 --> 0:52:40.360 health evaluations. 0:52:40.560 --> 0:52:41.759 And there you. 0:52:41.800 --> 0:52:48.200 Said, when they're clothes, look like down or whatever, that's 0:52:48.239 --> 0:52:49.080 an indicator. 0:52:49.440 --> 0:52:52.279 That's a future mental health challenge. And I'll tell you what, yes, 0:52:52.400 --> 0:52:58.320 let me speak on that. It's the weakest link when people. 0:52:58.640 --> 0:53:01.920 I'll put it like this, if you look one hundred 0:53:01.920 --> 0:53:05.479 families in distress for whatever reason, and you gave them 0:53:05.560 --> 0:53:08.719 all five thousand dollars not even know what the problem is. 0:53:08.800 --> 0:53:11.680 I guarantee you a lot of them, a lot of 0:53:11.680 --> 0:53:16.400 their situation would improve the arguments the husband, the fighting 0:53:16.440 --> 0:53:19.319 would go away that that night at dinner, you lay 0:53:19.360 --> 0:53:21.640 that five thousand dollarsand table. The husband and wife aren't 0:53:21.640 --> 0:53:26.719 fighting anymore that night. So people under pressure bubble over. 0:53:26.920 --> 0:53:30.200 And so when a kid doesn't have clean clothes or 0:53:30.320 --> 0:53:32.799 enough to eat, it's an indicator that things are not 0:53:33.000 --> 0:53:36.560 adequate in the house. That should call our attention to 0:53:36.640 --> 0:53:39.399 go see why is that mother not bathing that child. 0:53:39.480 --> 0:53:41.560 Maybe she has depression and she's laying in the bed. 0:53:42.719 --> 0:53:45.800 And so that kid, who then is suffering more pressure, 0:53:45.960 --> 0:53:49.400 is more likely to try something for relief, to drink, something, 0:53:49.400 --> 0:53:52.359 to smoke, something, to try some physical harming to make 0:53:52.400 --> 0:53:58.320 themselves feel better, to hide and shame. It's that. 0:53:58.000 --> 0:54:01.440 That's so what I I want to end this pretty 0:54:01.520 --> 0:54:03.120 much with two things I need. 0:54:03.000 --> 0:54:05.799 You to do. I need you give us your back. 0:54:06.280 --> 0:54:11.480 You know, you sound like one of the best psychologists 0:54:11.480 --> 0:54:12.640 I've ever heard yea knowing. 0:54:12.640 --> 0:54:15.280 As an individual, you adope all around individual. 0:54:15.400 --> 0:54:18.560 Let these people how loan you've been studying, you know, 0:54:18.640 --> 0:54:21.120 let them know where they can find you, because we 0:54:21.200 --> 0:54:23.680 need people like you, man, We need people to reach 0:54:23.719 --> 0:54:24.600 out to people like you. 0:54:25.160 --> 0:54:28.040 Well, I'll tell you I grew up in Chicago and 0:54:28.800 --> 0:54:31.920 was struggling myself as a young person and ended up 0:54:31.960 --> 0:54:34.200 going to prison at eighteen years old. And I'll tell 0:54:34.239 --> 0:54:38.160 you that experience has shaped me as a man and 0:54:38.280 --> 0:54:43.360 as a formally incarcerated individual. Has tried to navigate through 0:54:43.440 --> 0:54:47.719 life with this burden of a telony that has I'm 0:54:47.719 --> 0:54:51.200 going to estimate, you know, delayed me probably ten to 0:54:51.400 --> 0:54:54.640 twelve years. Even though I passed all the tests to 0:54:54.680 --> 0:54:57.680 become a doctor, to go to college, I was constantly 0:54:58.280 --> 0:55:04.560 denied and in my pursuit of access to becoming a 0:55:04.600 --> 0:55:05.440 mental health provider. 0:55:05.480 --> 0:55:08.400 Which how long were you? Because I didn't want to 0:55:08.400 --> 0:55:09.680 cut you. No, that's fine. 0:55:09.719 --> 0:55:11.520 I was sitting for four years, and so I did 0:55:12.120 --> 0:55:13.200 about two years. 0:55:13.480 --> 0:55:14.000 Wow. 0:55:14.160 --> 0:55:16.719 I never knew that I gotta we gotta do sit 0:55:16.760 --> 0:55:18.480 downs with the stand ups. I need you on my 0:55:18.800 --> 0:55:20.879 sit downs with the stands ups, where we sit down 0:55:20.880 --> 0:55:24.120 and we go from everything about formerly incus rated how 0:55:24.160 --> 0:55:25.560 it's become successful. 0:55:25.560 --> 0:55:26.600 So that's later on. 0:55:26.719 --> 0:55:30.960 But okay, so I got out of believe it or 0:55:31.000 --> 0:55:34.480 not I actually wrote. I was writing letters to colleges 0:55:34.760 --> 0:55:35.320 from prison. 0:55:35.400 --> 0:55:36.360 I was pretty daeved. 0:55:37.320 --> 0:55:39.719 I got accepted in the Berkeley I got out of 0:55:39.800 --> 0:55:43.600 prison I think in July of nineteen eighty seven, and 0:55:43.800 --> 0:55:45.560 within a couple of months I was a freshman at 0:55:45.560 --> 0:55:49.560 Berkeley and studied molecular and cell biology. I then went 0:55:49.560 --> 0:55:53.360 to the University of Southern California. I applied to thirty 0:55:53.400 --> 0:55:58.200 medical schools. I got rejected by twenty eight. Fortunately, the 0:55:58.280 --> 0:56:01.640 University of Southern California saw fit to admit me even 0:56:01.640 --> 0:56:04.040 though you know, I had a felony. So really what 0:56:04.239 --> 0:56:07.000 happened was you need people to give you opportunity, so 0:56:07.040 --> 0:56:09.319 it's so easy that you know this to slam the 0:56:09.320 --> 0:56:11.879 door in your face. So then up coming to New York, 0:56:12.080 --> 0:56:15.879 I trained that sunny downstate for child psychiatry. I trained 0:56:15.880 --> 0:56:19.799 at Monti Fury at the Bronx Psychiatric Center for adult psychiatry. 0:56:19.880 --> 0:56:23.640 So I've always really worked with marginalized people, homeless outreach 0:56:23.680 --> 0:56:26.440 in the city. I was there at nine to eleven, 0:56:27.760 --> 0:56:33.520 volunteered another nine to eleven. So so yeah, I felt like, 0:56:34.239 --> 0:56:37.360 you know, God has really put put a responsibility on me, 0:56:37.680 --> 0:56:40.480 so I give them my time. To formally incarcerated people 0:56:40.480 --> 0:56:44.080 to the black community, to underserve populations, to advocate on 0:56:44.120 --> 0:56:46.800 their behalf because they don't have anybody else to advocate 0:56:46.800 --> 0:56:48.200 for them. 0:56:48.239 --> 0:56:50.800 Well, listen, I truly appreciate you man. 0:56:51.040 --> 0:56:53.160 That I didn't even know that part, but I just 0:56:53.239 --> 0:56:55.440 knew that she was a dope individual, and you know, 0:56:55.520 --> 0:56:58.959 I liked you individual. But now hearing that I get 0:56:59.160 --> 0:57:01.360 you know what I'm saying that it makes me feel 0:57:01.560 --> 0:57:05.839 a lot better because your representation of what formerly incarcerated 0:57:05.840 --> 0:57:08.440 people can do because there's such a stigmas and that 0:57:08.600 --> 0:57:10.880 we are just the words the bottom of the barrel. 0:57:10.920 --> 0:57:13.400 I heard somebody call somebody the bottom of the bartle 0:57:13.440 --> 0:57:17.280 from being incarcerated. So you you represent what someone who 0:57:17.360 --> 0:57:20.040 has the mind and the heart and the energy that 0:57:20.200 --> 0:57:23.240 comes home after being incarcerated and suffering to come home 0:57:23.240 --> 0:57:24.560 and do something successful. 0:57:24.640 --> 0:57:25.560 So I appreciate you. 0:57:25.920 --> 0:57:26.920 Let me give a shout. I got to give a 0:57:26.960 --> 0:57:30.240 shout out to our Governor Kathy Hoko, who, despite me 0:57:31.000 --> 0:57:34.960 having a felony, appointed me to the New York State 0:57:35.240 --> 0:57:37.880 Commission on Corrections. And now I sit in an oversight 0:57:38.040 --> 0:57:44.280 position ensuring that there's no shenanigans happening with our incarcerated 0:57:44.280 --> 0:57:48.000 individuals as far as psychiatric delivery. I also want to 0:57:48.000 --> 0:57:51.080 give a shout out to New York State Senate who 0:57:51.120 --> 0:57:55.200 confirmed me knowing that I was a formerly incarcerated individual. 0:57:55.240 --> 0:57:58.560 So New York State is not just talking about formally 0:57:58.600 --> 0:58:00.840 incarcerated individuals, but actually do on something. And that's an 0:58:00.840 --> 0:58:01.640 example right there. 0:58:02.840 --> 0:58:06.240 That's what I'm talking about, Mike. 0:58:06.440 --> 0:58:11.080 Sometimes sometimes I love New York. Sometimes I don't, you know, 0:58:12.720 --> 0:58:13.240 what is that? 0:58:14.040 --> 0:58:14.560 What does it? 0:58:14.640 --> 0:58:18.360 Mounds? Don't? Okay? One of those things. That's how I 0:58:18.360 --> 0:58:22.400 feel about it. You know, I I am emotional because 0:58:22.440 --> 0:58:24.400 I know all of this stuff, but I didn't know 0:58:24.440 --> 0:58:26.800 what you would bring up today about your background. Some 0:58:26.800 --> 0:58:29.560 people sometimes you do it all the time. Sometimes you don't. 0:58:30.880 --> 0:58:33.120 And I know your story and I know your commitment. 0:58:33.200 --> 0:58:36.680 I know your family. Obviously, your wife Hasani is one 0:58:36.720 --> 0:58:40.800 of my best friends and has mentored me, you know, 0:58:40.960 --> 0:58:45.000 in the political space in New York and beyond. And 0:58:45.080 --> 0:58:48.760 I am just so proud to be friends with you 0:58:48.880 --> 0:58:52.680 all because I know what you do. I know the 0:58:52.680 --> 0:58:56.320 commitment you have. I know that when I'm talking to you, 0:58:57.240 --> 0:59:00.720 I'm speaking to you, not to everybody. My business is 0:59:00.760 --> 0:59:02.840 not being told to the world because that was one 0:59:02.880 --> 0:59:07.360 of the reasons why I've had challenges with with working 0:59:07.400 --> 0:59:10.200 with mental health professionals in the past, because I was 0:59:10.240 --> 0:59:13.560 worried about what they would tell other people. And it 0:59:13.720 --> 0:59:15.840 just has been a pleasure. And if you are someone 0:59:15.880 --> 0:59:19.000 who's listening and trying to get in touch with Michael Pratts, 0:59:19.040 --> 0:59:21.520 and first of all, the information will be included in 0:59:21.600 --> 0:59:24.200 this episode, but please tell folks how to find you, 0:59:24.280 --> 0:59:27.360 and thank you, thank you, thank you for joining Street Politicians. 0:59:27.400 --> 0:59:30.000 Sure, sure, absolutely you can just google my name Michael Pratts. 0:59:30.000 --> 0:59:32.080 I'm listened there. One of the black psychiatrists are Greater 0:59:32.200 --> 0:59:34.840 New York. My contact information is there to mean hopefully 0:59:34.840 --> 0:59:37.200 you'll publish the book on your website. The link to 0:59:37.240 --> 0:59:42.440 that mind Matters a resource guiye right for the black community. 0:59:44.160 --> 0:59:45.920 Plain language. Everyone should read. 0:59:46.520 --> 0:59:48.720 Thank you, appreciate you, thank you. 0:59:48.960 --> 0:59:51.720 Thank you. 0:59:51.120 --> 0:59:54.800 That was excellent. 0:59:54.840 --> 0:59:56.880 And I didn't even know all of those things about Mike, 0:59:56.960 --> 0:59:59.320 say you holding out like I knew you could. 1:00:00.200 --> 1:00:03.080 Sometimes, I mean, we've had people on the show before 1:00:03.240 --> 1:00:06.760 guests that they didn't tell me to bring up that 1:00:06.800 --> 1:00:09.560 they were formally incross rat like. Sometimes people don't want 1:00:09.560 --> 1:00:12.760 to talk about it. Sometimes not because they're ashamed, but 1:00:12.880 --> 1:00:15.919 because if you're talking about the professional work, they don't 1:00:15.920 --> 1:00:18.560 want you to be overhaw. You know. 1:00:18.600 --> 1:00:20.760 So I'm glad that he wears it as a badge 1:00:20.760 --> 1:00:23.160 of honor. And that's what sit Down with the Standums 1:00:23.280 --> 1:00:26.080 is about. It's about highlighting brothers like Michael, like this 1:00:26.120 --> 1:00:30.320 is a successful psychiatrist, someone who is really successful and 1:00:30.360 --> 1:00:33.800 he he he broke down his accolades. He sits on 1:00:33.840 --> 1:00:37.320 the board for formally incarcerated individuals that. 1:00:37.200 --> 1:00:41.400 He was appointed for the commission people. 1:00:42.120 --> 1:00:45.840 Okay, so listen, yeah, for the people for the Department 1:00:45.840 --> 1:00:46.280 of Crisis. 1:00:46.360 --> 1:00:47.960 So that is important. 1:00:48.080 --> 1:00:51.920 It's important that people who are incarcerated or formally incarcerated 1:00:51.960 --> 1:00:56.320 coming home see that, see somebody like him, and say, Wow, 1:00:56.480 --> 1:00:59.080 it's not over for me. Whatever society is saying about 1:00:59.120 --> 1:01:02.160 me is not. And I'm glad that he embraces that. So, 1:01:02.560 --> 1:01:04.640 you know, the interview in itself was dope, but that 1:01:04.760 --> 1:01:07.640 just made it ten times dopeer for me. So definitely 1:01:07.640 --> 1:01:09.600 gonna have him once sit down in the stand ups. 1:01:10.160 --> 1:01:14.200 But on off topic. You know, my my, I don't 1:01:14.200 --> 1:01:20.080 get this a little old topic. I was in sports mode. 1:01:21.560 --> 1:01:23.480 You know, we're in the playoffs. So I just been 1:01:23.520 --> 1:01:25.680 watching sports and I was watching ESPN a couple of 1:01:25.720 --> 1:01:29.360 days ago. You know, Dylan Brooks, Now you don't know 1:01:29.360 --> 1:01:33.400 about them. Dylan Brooks is a player on Memphis. He's 1:01:33.560 --> 1:01:36.640 he likes to trash talk, you know, he gets in 1:01:36.680 --> 1:01:40.320 the heads. He's one of those players that we've been celebrating, 1:01:40.360 --> 1:01:44.640 people like Draymond Green, people like Dennis Rodman, like people 1:01:44.760 --> 1:01:45.720 like Gary Payton. 1:01:45.800 --> 1:01:48.959 These were people that throughout history, you know, they. 1:01:48.840 --> 1:01:52.680 Would trash talk you, they file you hard, and that's 1:01:52.720 --> 1:01:54.920 who they were, you know, and they've been like the 1:01:54.960 --> 1:01:58.960 garbage man, and they've always existed in basketball, you know. 1:01:59.120 --> 1:02:03.280 And a couple of days, the Memphis Grizzlies, who is 1:02:03.280 --> 1:02:06.560 his team, put out a statement saying that they wouldn't 1:02:06.600 --> 1:02:09.440 be inviting him back to play for the team, and 1:02:09.600 --> 1:02:12.400 you know, and I think it was biased. I think 1:02:12.680 --> 1:02:15.160 never before I've seen anything like this, I think because 1:02:15.560 --> 1:02:20.000 you know, Lebron James is pretty much hierarchy, and you know, 1:02:20.080 --> 1:02:25.600 he's like basketball royalty. And he talked, he talked trash 1:02:25.640 --> 1:02:27.720 to Lebron, and Lebron cracked him. So they ended up 1:02:27.720 --> 1:02:30.920 losing the series. But throughout this whole season, he talked 1:02:30.960 --> 1:02:33.680 trash and they were winning. They were a number one seed, 1:02:34.400 --> 1:02:36.400 you know, I mean a number two seed in the West. 1:02:36.400 --> 1:02:40.160 And him talking trash in the level that he played 1:02:40.200 --> 1:02:42.320 hard every game got them to where they was. And 1:02:42.360 --> 1:02:46.840 now that you know, they didn't win and it was publicized. 1:02:47.200 --> 1:02:49.720 You know, what they're doing to this man is something 1:02:49.760 --> 1:02:52.560 I don't get. I don't think it's right to publicly 1:02:52.600 --> 1:02:55.840 embarrass him, you know, try to make him the black sheep. 1:02:55.920 --> 1:02:59.040 He's done nothing that we have not seen throughout history. 1:02:59.040 --> 1:03:01.920 There's been people that I hated, that talk trash, that 1:03:02.080 --> 1:03:05.480 fouled the best players, my favorite players, you know, but 1:03:05.520 --> 1:03:08.720 they served the job, you know, and I don't see 1:03:08.800 --> 1:03:11.720 any He ain't no off the court distraction. You don't 1:03:11.760 --> 1:03:14.360 hear Dylan Brooks then gotten too, no fighter out on 1:03:14.400 --> 1:03:17.160 the street. You know, he ain't out there beating nobody up. 1:03:17.200 --> 1:03:18.640 He ain't doing no gangs and stuff. 1:03:18.920 --> 1:03:19.160 You know. 1:03:19.280 --> 1:03:24.880 We we see we've been celebrated negativity and people's characters 1:03:24.920 --> 1:03:28.360 and in real life, you know, because they can play basketball, 1:03:28.440 --> 1:03:31.240 they you know, they're good at the sport. But somebody 1:03:31.360 --> 1:03:33.720 who comes to the sport with a little bit of edge, 1:03:34.320 --> 1:03:37.000 who from what we can see, is a decent human 1:03:37.040 --> 1:03:39.880 being you want to shun an embarrassing, you know, for 1:03:40.360 --> 1:03:44.120 having a role that has been celebrated in the NBA 1:03:44.240 --> 1:03:46.480 for years. So I don't really get what it is, 1:03:46.520 --> 1:03:49.200 you know. And I'm not the biggest Dylon Brooks fan. 1:03:49.280 --> 1:03:51.600 I really actually don't really like him much. But I 1:03:51.640 --> 1:03:54.560 think with the NBA and with the Memphis Grizzlies is 1:03:54.600 --> 1:03:55.560 doing to him is wrong. 1:03:55.560 --> 1:03:56.560 And I don't really get it. 1:03:56.920 --> 1:03:59.479 I don't, you know, And I don't know why more 1:03:59.800 --> 1:04:03.080 athletes and players aren't saying what are you saying? 1:04:03.360 --> 1:04:05.440 What's happening to Hima Drone? So I just wanted to 1:04:05.480 --> 1:04:07.200 say that I really just don't get it. 1:04:07.480 --> 1:04:10.160 Well, the whole idea of more people speaking up on 1:04:10.240 --> 1:04:13.720 behalf of folks is it's really the number of people 1:04:13.760 --> 1:04:17.960 who are willing to speak out is dwindling because the 1:04:18.080 --> 1:04:22.520 punishment for using your voice has been scaring people. And 1:04:22.560 --> 1:04:25.200 you can see that, you know, so many have been 1:04:25.200 --> 1:04:28.480 put in their place, they've been demonized, they've lost money, 1:04:28.680 --> 1:04:32.600 and they've lost endorsement deals. And therefore, and I'm not 1:04:32.680 --> 1:04:35.320 just talking about it in sports, just in general, paychecks, 1:04:35.400 --> 1:04:39.360 let me not say endorsements, paychecks and so people have 1:04:39.560 --> 1:04:43.720 become you know, they're worried about themselves, and so, you know, 1:04:43.760 --> 1:04:46.200 I think that's one thing I don't really know obviously 1:04:46.320 --> 1:04:49.440 much about this situation, but what I will say is 1:04:49.480 --> 1:04:52.320 that it seems like, I mean, we're just in a 1:04:52.440 --> 1:04:58.280 sensitive spaces as a society, and you know, I feel 1:04:58.280 --> 1:05:02.720 like I always tell we are all each individual person 1:05:03.600 --> 1:05:09.080 is a walking contradiction because what we don't agree with 1:05:09.240 --> 1:05:12.880 on one hand because of our own personal opinions on 1:05:12.920 --> 1:05:16.600 certain issues, we may support on the other hand, so 1:05:16.640 --> 1:05:21.720 we are not going to allow or certain things. But 1:05:21.840 --> 1:05:25.880 then as the walking contradiction is that on the other side, 1:05:25.920 --> 1:05:29.400 we're like, no, but this shouldn't be an issue. And 1:05:29.440 --> 1:05:34.720 I say that because the sensitivity around trash talk that 1:05:34.840 --> 1:05:39.080 seems to be a new thing within sports. It's triggering 1:05:39.160 --> 1:05:42.600 to a lot of people, Like people on both sides. 1:05:42.640 --> 1:05:46.800 You know, people are like, wait, I don't think we 1:05:46.840 --> 1:05:50.520 should be censoring or not so much censoring, but changing 1:05:50.880 --> 1:05:53.960 the flow of the trash talk and the you know, 1:05:54.080 --> 1:05:56.960 the sort of trolling or whatever you call it, taunting 1:05:57.160 --> 1:05:59.919 or whatever. People don't want that. But then when it's 1:06:00.120 --> 1:06:03.040 not their favor, when it's their favorite team, they're okay 1:06:03.080 --> 1:06:06.800 with it, right when it's their favorite player, they're okay 1:06:06.840 --> 1:06:08.840 with it. So I don't know where this is going 1:06:08.920 --> 1:06:11.720 to go. We have to kind of see the direction 1:06:12.760 --> 1:06:13.880 that this takes on. 1:06:14.640 --> 1:06:14.960 I think. 1:06:15.040 --> 1:06:18.600 I think social media has has put a highlight on everything, 1:06:18.680 --> 1:06:23.360 and it's allowed people who really don't have any stake 1:06:23.520 --> 1:06:28.080 or anything to dictate the whole structure of everything. So 1:06:28.160 --> 1:06:31.600 if you go online and they see a thousand and 1:06:31.640 --> 1:06:35.320 two thousand people say f Dylan Brooks, then in their mind, 1:06:35.360 --> 1:06:37.520 you know, he's he's a liability to the. 1:06:37.520 --> 1:06:38.080 Team, you know. 1:06:38.560 --> 1:06:41.720 So I think, and that's why I try to tell 1:06:41.760 --> 1:06:45.360 people you can't judge real life on the Internet because 1:06:45.480 --> 1:06:47.360 it really I'm trying to tell it's a fault, it 1:06:47.440 --> 1:06:50.280 is a false meteria, it is really a false meet. 1:06:50.720 --> 1:06:53.800 And we've seen that in a lot of situations with 1:06:53.920 --> 1:06:56.600 court cases and what people were saying and the public 1:06:56.640 --> 1:06:58.880 opinion of what's going on, and then in real life 1:06:59.040 --> 1:07:01.600 we were like, oh, the Internet was trying to tell 1:07:01.680 --> 1:07:04.280 us this, and then when real life happened, it'd be 1:07:04.320 --> 1:07:07.280 completely different. So I just want us not to get 1:07:07.280 --> 1:07:09.680 so caught up and what the internet believes, what the 1:07:09.680 --> 1:07:13.080 Internet tells us, and just start dealing in real life, 1:07:13.440 --> 1:07:16.080 do your own research, fact check things. 1:07:16.480 --> 1:07:19.320 Look, you know, understand the reality of what we're doing. 1:07:19.800 --> 1:07:23.760 Yeah, well guess what you got some nerve because the 1:07:23.800 --> 1:07:27.680 people who say the Internet ain't real life, sure enough, 1:07:27.720 --> 1:07:30.000 spend a lot of time on it trying to convince 1:07:30.080 --> 1:07:33.840 people of their opinions. But anyway, I digress. 1:07:34.440 --> 1:07:36.560 I mean, it's not so much trying to convince. It's 1:07:36.600 --> 1:07:39.880 just that what I do make a point. 1:07:40.240 --> 1:07:43.440 If you make a point on the Internet and you 1:07:43.560 --> 1:07:47.760 tell two or three people how you feel, that's fool. 1:07:48.240 --> 1:07:51.960 If you spend hours in a day going back and 1:07:52.000 --> 1:07:55.880 forth in comments with different individuals on different pages, it's 1:07:55.960 --> 1:07:58.160 left your page, now it's on this page, and it's 1:07:58.200 --> 1:08:00.320 hand the third and it said the third. You are 1:08:00.320 --> 1:08:02.080 trying to convince people of your opinion. 1:08:02.880 --> 1:08:06.400 I don't notice that. I'm just. I'm just. I naturally 1:08:06.480 --> 1:08:06.760 like to. 1:08:06.720 --> 1:08:12.240 Debate, But why debate people who are not real life? 1:08:12.320 --> 1:08:14.760 Because for me, I don't think that individuals. 1:08:15.680 --> 1:08:17.840 I don't really think the individuals are real I just 1:08:17.880 --> 1:08:21.240 think that their perspectives are something that might be shared 1:08:21.400 --> 1:08:24.000 with a lot of people. So when they have a perspective, 1:08:24.479 --> 1:08:27.040 I have no problem shooting down the perspective because I 1:08:27.080 --> 1:08:29.040 can answer it. 1:08:29.400 --> 1:08:30.240 We aff. 1:08:32.320 --> 1:08:38.479 I don't okay, we don't agree. Sounds sounds familiar, So listen. 1:08:38.520 --> 1:08:43.360 Man. Shout out to doctor Michael Pratts for his excellent, 1:08:43.600 --> 1:08:46.960 you know, understanding of where we are in society today 1:08:47.560 --> 1:08:51.840 during mental health months. You know, hopefully somebody will listen 1:08:51.880 --> 1:08:57.519 to this hint and take some of his recommendations for 1:08:57.640 --> 1:09:00.719 how we deal with mental health in our society right now. 1:09:00.960 --> 1:09:05.479 But the police, I don't know, like you know, but 1:09:06.120 --> 1:09:10.000 there has to be adjustments made. But I understand from 1:09:10.040 --> 1:09:10.719 his perspective. 1:09:10.760 --> 1:09:13.360 The principle is that those people need help. People need help, 1:09:13.400 --> 1:09:16.000 and we need to be able to get them immediate help. 1:09:16.240 --> 1:09:18.760 And if we allow them to just roam, you know, 1:09:19.080 --> 1:09:22.840 without help, when we have the ability and people you know, 1:09:23.120 --> 1:09:26.160 officers are walk up to you and stopping fresh you anyway, right, 1:09:26.200 --> 1:09:29.040 So if we got stopping fresh and people are getting 1:09:29.040 --> 1:09:31.559 stopping frist every day, and we and we and we 1:09:31.720 --> 1:09:36.360 able to utilize officers to get mental health people the 1:09:36.439 --> 1:09:38.719 help they need by walking up to them and saying, hey, 1:09:39.479 --> 1:09:41.520 we have to take you to a mental health facility 1:09:42.040 --> 1:09:43.080 and it's documented. 1:09:43.160 --> 1:09:46.000 You know, I don't know, we're gonna have to talk 1:09:46.000 --> 1:09:48.679 about We have to talk at a whole another day 1:09:48.680 --> 1:09:50.640 about that because and we would have to talk to 1:09:51.120 --> 1:09:56.439 law enforcement in New York, because I don't know how 1:09:57.000 --> 1:10:02.840 you will how in the white community it might work. 1:10:02.880 --> 1:10:06.880 It's like a warrant. It's like a warrant, that's what 1:10:06.920 --> 1:10:11.840 it is. It's like the police to jail. So you 1:10:11.960 --> 1:10:14.760 have a mental health warrant to where we don't take 1:10:14.760 --> 1:10:16.559 you to jail, but we take you to a mental 1:10:16.640 --> 1:10:20.280 facility that can help you because you know it's deemed 1:10:20.280 --> 1:10:21.479 that you need help mentally. 1:10:21.840 --> 1:10:24.519 Get what you're saying. I'm not trying to argue because 1:10:24.520 --> 1:10:28.880 I hear what you're saying. I'm just triggered because I 1:10:28.960 --> 1:10:31.439 know that a lot of people get abused that we 1:10:31.560 --> 1:10:34.800 never hear and see their stories. A lot of people don't. 1:10:35.479 --> 1:10:38.960 More people don't get abused by police than do so 1:10:39.040 --> 1:10:40.680 I'm not you know, we know that that's it. 1:10:41.040 --> 1:10:43.320 More people don't. More people the. 1:10:43.320 --> 1:10:46.320 Situation is resolved, and you know, what have you. But 1:10:46.400 --> 1:10:51.320 they are very egregious acts and cases that cannot be 1:10:51.400 --> 1:10:56.320 ignored because they're not the majority. And so I don't know. 1:10:56.680 --> 1:10:58.559 I think you have to be a certain type of 1:10:58.560 --> 1:11:02.200 officer who sogn up for this and has as you 1:11:02.280 --> 1:11:06.639 were saying about the having a weapon, right, you got 1:11:06.680 --> 1:11:12.160 to be constantly monitored for your behavior. You have to 1:11:12.240 --> 1:11:15.920 have the officer who's standing next to you and other 1:11:16.000 --> 1:11:19.599 individuals they have to be responsible for what you do. 1:11:20.320 --> 1:11:24.920 So if you act out, you and Officer Robbie together 1:11:25.520 --> 1:11:28.680 need to be held responsible for your actions. Like it 1:11:28.760 --> 1:11:32.560 has to be so strict that that's going to be 1:11:32.600 --> 1:11:34.719 the problem because're gonna have a lot of police officers 1:11:34.720 --> 1:11:38.280 that's like, I don't want that responsibility. They know they're 1:11:38.280 --> 1:11:41.040 scrutinizing me too much, So then who does the job? 1:11:41.439 --> 1:11:43.439 I just don't know, That's all I'm saying. 1:11:43.600 --> 1:11:44.000 I don't know. 1:11:44.720 --> 1:11:47.920 Well, we'll discuss it further another day. But with that said, 1:11:48.200 --> 1:11:51.080 brings us to the end of another show. Shout out 1:11:51.120 --> 1:11:52.280 to all of our listeners. 1:11:52.360 --> 1:11:53.400 We appreciate you. 1:11:53.880 --> 1:11:57.760 Few politicians, no more podcasts in the world in the 1:11:57.800 --> 1:12:00.920 world continue to hit us up, hit us street politicians. 1:12:00.920 --> 1:12:03.160 Pod Let us know what you love, what you hate, 1:12:03.400 --> 1:12:06.000 what you want to hear, what guests you want us 1:12:06.000 --> 1:12:08.600 to give. We want all of your feedbacks, man, And 1:12:08.680 --> 1:12:11.360 once again, I'm not gonna always be right to mek 1:12:11.360 --> 1:12:13.200 A D. Malories and I can always be wrong, but 1:12:13.280 --> 1:12:16.560 we will both always and I mean always, always, always 1:12:17.000 --> 1:12:17.840 be authentic. 1:12:18.439 --> 1:12:22.839 Paz. Listen to Street Politicians on the Black Effect Network 1:12:22.880 --> 1:12:25.360 on iHeartRadio. 1:12:24.640 --> 1:12:27.120 And catch us every single Wednesday for the video version 1:12:27.120 --> 1:12:29.360 of Street Politicians on iwomen dot tv. 1:12:29.680 --> 1:12:30.439 That's how we all